Theo Walcott: Arsenal aren’t a soft target in the title chase

THE THEORY will gather credence if Arsenal can emerge from Burnley unscathed, but Theo Walcott believes Sunday’s come-from-behind victory over Liverpool proves Arsene Wenger’s side can no longer be classed as soft touches.

PUBLISHED: 00:00, Tue, Dec 15, 2009

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Theo Walcott has hailed the togetherness that saw Arsenal overturn a half-time deficit at Anfield

England international Walcott hailed the togetherness and spirit that saw Arsenal over-turn a half-time deficit at Anfield to win the game and increase belief in their title credentials.

Liverpool had not lost in the previous 79 league matches at home in which they had taken a lead, ironically dating back to October 2003, when Robert Pires completed a stirring fightback by scoring the winner for Arsenal in another 2-1 win.

Arsenal’s triumph came after a half-time rollicking from boss Wenger, countering the frequently aired accusation that beyond their obvious flair they are also fragile.

Walcott claimed the success was a pivotal one as he looked ahead to tomorrow’s trip to Turf Moor. “Results like this show we are no pushovers,” said Walcott. “Going 1-0 down, we showed great spirit and how passionate we are about the game. We wanted to give something back to the fans because they were fantastic for us.

“None of us were happy with the first half. We were 1-0 down and hadn’t played well. We like to keep things in the dressing room to ourselves. The boss just showed his passion for the game and that he has belief in us.

“We don’t like to reflect things out in the open but it woke us up – and that’s what you’ve got to do as a manager. It worked.

“Coming in at the end and getting a round of applause from the boss showed that we listened to him. All the players were bubbling, as you would with a 2-1 win at Anfield. It was great to see.

“The boss is always happy every time we win a game and these big matches are the most important ones in the season. We have to build on this and look forward.”

Arsenal moved up to third, six points behind Chelsea and three behind Manchester United but with a game in hand on both rivals and they remain confident their season can contain a silver lining. Wenger did not field a single forward at Anfield, with Robin van Persie and Nicklas Bendtner out injured, and will target beefing up his attacking armoury in January.

Walcott, however, is adamant Arsenal possess the personnel to thrive whether or not reinforcements arrive. He said: “It’s still very early in the season. It’s great to get these points and gradually get closer to Chelsea and Manchester United.

“But we must look to Burnley now and aim to get the three points and we will be right there at the end of the season. We can mount a challenge without Robin. He is such a big player for us – he has scored so many important goals for us and his stature scares defenders.

“He will be an unbelievable miss but we have people like Andrey Arshavin coming in to fill the gaps and he is fantastic as well. He will definitely clock up plenty of goals.”

It was Russian Arshavin’s thunderous strike, on a ground where he scored four times last April, that sealed Liverpool’s fate and Walcott added: “There is always a smile on his face and to get a goal was well deserved. It was a fantastic finish.”

CATALUNYA coach Johan Cruyff has named Cesc Fabregas in his squad for a friendly against Argentina next week despite Wenger insisting his player was not available.

Fabregas was in a 20-man squad named by Cruyff, who took over as coach of the region last month.

But Wenger said: “We don’t allow players to play in friendlies because we have too many games. There is a demand for Cesc but there is a demand for five or six other players. I didn’t rest players against Olympiakos to let them play a friendly.”